NEWS

Today, the 2nd of February 2016 the NUS Women's Department has released the results from the 2015 ‘Talk About It,’ survey, revealing a range of alarming statistics about the experiences of women studying at Australian Universities.

In 2015, the NUS Womens Department ran the ‘Talk About It’ survey, which collected information about the experiences of women university students in Australia. The survey looked at accommodation, safety, student services, sexual assault, harassment and economic difficulties that women enrolled in tertiary education institutions face.

In the survey, it was found that women students have a range of experiences which impact on their ability to participate in and succeed at university including financial difficulties, health problems and family responsibilities.

Experiences of harassment, sexual assault and violence at university were also found to be very common, with over 70% of respondents saying that they had experienced some from of harassment during their time at university. While some respondents said that universities and external services had helped to address their experiences; the overwhelming view was that they needed improving.

In the final pages of the report, the NUS womens department has provided a number of recommendations for ways that support for women studying at university can be improved, including through providing increased funding for valued services like counselling and advocacy, and clarifying reporting procedures for incidents of support or harassment at university.